Dodgers: Five pitchers that have owned them since 2010

Every team has a pitcher they hate to see toeing the rubber on the other side of the field, even the highly-touted Los Angeles Dodgers line-up.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been one of the most successful franchises in Major League Baseball over the last several years. That includes two trips to the World Series and seven-consecutive division titles.

That success hasn’t come by accident, as the front office has done a great job all-around. Between building one of the most successful farm systems in the game to finding and nurturing talented cast-offs, the Dodgers have found a way to construct a roster that is deep and strong from top to bottom and on both the hitting and pitching sides of the game.

A lot of that aforementioned talent resides on the hitting side of things, where the Dodgers have become one of the strongest offensive units in all of baseball. In 2019, the team ranked 4th in wRC+ (111), 4th in wOBA (.338), 5th in runs scored (886), 4th in home runs (279), and 4th in RBI (861). That has been spurred by leading the league in hard-hit rate last season, an astounding rate of 42.3%, and also resulted in an HR/FB ratio of 17.8% last season.

But every good offensive team has a nemesis that gives them fits. Every team has one guy or another that they struggle to get to every time and again, and the Dodgers are no exception. There are just certain pitchers that have owned the Dodgers over the years. As an interesting exercise, I thought it would be interesting to see which pitchers have had the Dodgers’ number since 2010.

In an effort to make things as fair as possible, I used 50 innings pitched as a minimum innings limit. This helped to pull the occasional reliever that simply had one or two good outings of the equation. It also helped to expand the picture a little more to allow for opponents outside of the division to make their cases as well, as it discouraged an advantage for guys that saw Los Angeles three or four times a season.

So without further ado, let’s take a look at which pitchers have dominated the Dodgers over the last decade.

Honorable mention: Ray – Arizona Diamondbacks

The inclusion of Robbie Ray is an interesting option, but one that is also split by one of his biggest detractors; consistency.

A veteran of just five-plus seasons, Ray’s career has been sparked by exciting strikeout numbers but also plagued by his ability to limit walks and harness his control. In 20 starts (120 innings) against the Dodgers during that span, he owns a lifetime mark of 8-5 with a 3.15 ERA and a league-best 12.1 K/9 while limiting the Dodgers to a .203 batting average during that span. However, that also comes with a 4.2 BB/9 which has resulted in a .302 OBP, 15 home runs allowed, and a 3.66 FIP.